Johnny "Come Lately" Edwards To Endorse Democratic Nominee
cross-posted to
jack and jill politics
While Politico, TIME and others. are running headlines that say "Edwards Endorses Obama," I think mine is better.
My initial reaction was:
There's nothing particularly impressive about his decision. After all, he's coming out even after the mainstream media has concluded that the race is over. So it's not so much an endorsement as it is the only possible thing to do.
I'm a bit harsh on people who lead after the fact. Your decision means more to me when I feel like you made it in a difficult environment. It's one of the reasons I'm so critical of Hillary's Iraq War vote. She made the easy decision to go along with a popular president and look "strong." The truly strong decision would have been to stand up when few others did.
For all John Edwards's talk of being a fighter and standing up for the little guy, I've gone from impatient to furious to bored over his non-endorsement after so many months. When Hillary's campaign, months ago, started acting the fool, where was this Mr. Edwards? Hiding in North Carolina.
The calculating political side of me understands that he probably wanted to keep as many doors and options open as possible and might have been afraid of the wrath of the Clintons had he miscalculated or endorsed "too soon." But I have the luxury of not being in that position, and I don't really care.
That's my take. I may update it after his speech tonight. And no matter how unimpressed I am with the timing of Johnny Come Lately, it will be good to have him on the campaign trail if only to silence this stupid narrative about Obama and the white vote. Given the thoughtfulness behind many of his policy positions, I also think he has a lot to offer the country.
While Politico, TIME and others. are running headlines that say "Edwards Endorses Obama," I think mine is better.
My initial reaction was:
about friggin time dude. where you waiting for hillary to come out in blackface and campaign for mccain?
There's nothing particularly impressive about his decision. After all, he's coming out even after the mainstream media has concluded that the race is over. So it's not so much an endorsement as it is the only possible thing to do.
I'm a bit harsh on people who lead after the fact. Your decision means more to me when I feel like you made it in a difficult environment. It's one of the reasons I'm so critical of Hillary's Iraq War vote. She made the easy decision to go along with a popular president and look "strong." The truly strong decision would have been to stand up when few others did.
For all John Edwards's talk of being a fighter and standing up for the little guy, I've gone from impatient to furious to bored over his non-endorsement after so many months. When Hillary's campaign, months ago, started acting the fool, where was this Mr. Edwards? Hiding in North Carolina.
The calculating political side of me understands that he probably wanted to keep as many doors and options open as possible and might have been afraid of the wrath of the Clintons had he miscalculated or endorsed "too soon." But I have the luxury of not being in that position, and I don't really care.
That's my take. I may update it after his speech tonight. And no matter how unimpressed I am with the timing of Johnny Come Lately, it will be good to have him on the campaign trail if only to silence this stupid narrative about Obama and the white vote. Given the thoughtfulness behind many of his policy positions, I also think he has a lot to offer the country.